About Your Literally
Your Literally was born from a shared belief Erin and Renee have carried for decades: if you can read, you can literally do anything.
Erin and Renee met years ago at a summer workshop in New York City—two classroom teachers instantly connected by a deep love of literacy and learning. That connection turned into a professional partnership and friendship that would span decades. Together, they worked both nationally and internationally supporting teachers, literacy coaches, and school leadership teams in creating curriculum, strengthening instruction, and empowering students.
At the heart of their work was a powerful idea: children learn to read so that they read to learn, and through reading, they become change agents in their own lives and communities. Erin and Renee spent years helping educators teach students how to access the world through text, curiosity, and critical thinking.
Occasionally, their work extended beyond school walls. They were invited to facilitate workshops for parents and caregivers, and those sessions revealed something profound. When conversations centered the importance of reading aloud to children (regardless of their age) as one of the answers to, “How do I raise a reader?”, parents leaned in. They asked thoughtful questions. They wanted to understand the reading process—not just what books to read, but how to read with their children in ways that felt meaningful, joyful, and connective.
Parents were eager to support their children as readers—and even more eager to create positive, unplugged moments together.
When Erin and Renee searched for resources to share, they found wonderful local bookstores full of books that sparked curiosity and imagination. But when it came to guidance on how to read aloud—how to turn reading into connection, conversation, and confidence—they mostly found lists. Lists of titles. More what, but very little how.
So they created what they couldn’t find.
Your Literally is both a product and a service—designed specifically for parents and caregivers. It offers insider knowledge from the education world, translated into practical, accessible tools that help families make reading aloud a shared, joyful experience. It’s about slowing down, unplugging, and creating moments where children associate reading with possibility, and time spent together.
Because reading isn’t just a school skill, Renee and Erin believe that literacy work is life work.
When children experience reading as something they do together with you, the possibilities truly become limitless.
Welcome to Your Literally.
Meet Your Reading Team
Erin Donelson
Co-Founder
Erin was raised a reader in Pennsylvania, where books weren’t just stories—they were milestones. Her rite-of-passage reads included The Paper Bag Princess by her (distant) relative Robert Munsch, Little House on the Prairie, and Judy Blume’s Forever (read secretly under her sister’s bed, of course).
Her love of fiction was cemented through total immersion in series. Erin read every single Babysitters Club book she could get her hands on and spent countless hours sleuthing alongside Nancy Drew. One of her fondest memories is visiting her local library and repeatedly checking out Sylvester and The Magic Pebble, convinced each reread might reveal something new.
Today, Erin still reads like she always has—with curiosity and joy. You’re likely to find her sipping her favorite brew at The Cow’s End in Venice Beach, a book open in one hand, with her cat Charlie curled up nearby. Erin brings a deep understanding of literacy, a sharp instructional lens, and a warm sense of humor that makes learning feel inviting and doable.
Renee Houser
Co-Founder
Renee was also raised a reader in Pennsylvania, with memories that blend reading, travel, and family connection. Her nonfiction reading began on family road trips, she proudly took on the role of navigator —following the yellow line on the map and flipping through the pages of the AAA TripTik with purpose and precision.
She devoured the Flowers in the Attic series—fairly certain her parents didn’t know exactly what the books were about, but more than happy to help her find the next one just to keep her reading. In 1984, while on a cross-country family trip, Renee famously asked her dad to take a two-inch “yellow line” detour to De Smet, South Dakota so she could walk on what she considered hallowed ground while reading the Laura Ingalls Wilder series.
Renee has fond memories of visiting the Middletown, PA Public Library with her mom—climbing the creaky stairs to the second-floor children’s room, where possibility lived on every shelf. As a classroom teacher, Renee believed—without exception—that every child is a reader. She dedicated her career to helping each student find the right book for their individual, quirky brilliance.
Today, you’ll often find Renee at her favorite local coffee shop, The Sleepy Seal in Redondo Beach, reading alongside her daughter—each immersed in their current book. If Renee travels and you own a local bookstore, there’s a very good chance she’s stopped in. Supporting independent bookstores is a family value.
Together
Erin and Renee literally enjoy long walks on the beach together—brainstorming, laughing, and imagining the possibilities. Together, they are eternal optimists.
They believe deeply in the power of stories, the magic of reading aloud, and the hope that lives in the pages of a book.
With decades of experience and hearts firmly rooted in curiosity, connection, and joy, they created Your Literally to walk alongside parents—one read-aloud at a time.
Contact us
Have a question about reading aloud or Your Literally? Send us a message and we’ll be in touch shortly. We can’t wait to hear from you!